Dan Willingham has been known to challenge a popular theory or two. I find his work provocative, and I have refined my own perspectives a bit upon consideration of some of his arguments. Take a peek. Discuss. I’m wondering what others think……
Teachers ask for alternatives to traditional book reporting because they know that if there is anything worse than writing and reading a four paragraph text summary to a classroom full of your peers, it would be assuming the position of audience member AND evaluator. I know that there are more than a few WNY teachers [...]
Six-Word Memoir book preview from SMITHmag on Vimeo. My six words? Could work well for book-reporting!
Shakespeare On Facebook Published at Scribd A few years ago, Sue Rooney, a teacher at Cleveland Hill High School shared her Facebook literature project with me. The resulting products were very similar to the example above, and I was really impressed by the fact that she was willing to offer up the use of this [...]
We’re enjoying winter break in Western New York this week, and I’m glad to have some extra time to myself to catch up on all sorts of fun things like laundry, tax preparation, and car maintenance. Did I mention the dentist? I have to schedule that appointment too. At times, I’m a huge procrastinator, and [...]
Last month, Bill Ferriter invited his readers to join him in an online study and conversation relevant to Kelly Gallagher’s book, Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It (which he made available for free download)! I’m hopping on a plane with my daughter Laura bright and early Saturday morning, and [...]
In my corner of the world, I don’t bump up against too many teachers who are resistant to tech integration, particularly as it concerns the work of literature circles. I know kids who circle up around blogs rather than books, and I know teachers who build literature circle roles around the tech skills they want their students [...]
When we invite students into literature circles, we commit to teaching processes and skills rather than hyperfocusing on the surface features of any one title. Literature circle work provides teachers the opportunity to discover and leverage so much about their individual students and the strengths that they bring to the table. There is space to [...]
Linda Clinton is a literacy coach in East Detroit Public Schools. She keeps up with much of what I write in this space, and I can always rely on her to provide insightful comments, meaningful feedback, and ideas that enhance the work that I get to do with teachers each day. As I began this [...]
As students engage in the work of literature circles, teachers assume a variety of roles. Early in the process, roles and behaviors require defining. Teachers who take the time to demonstrate how they want their students to behave as cooperative learners are often rewarded by higher quality discussion, comprehension, and group engagement. In the beginning, mini-lessons might [...]
